Avenging Angel
by x Varda x
Summary: Complete! A being fuelled by nothing but fury and vengeance awakens in Atlantis. Cue scary hallucinations, mind control and McKay whump!
1. Unchained

Disclaimer - "Stargate" and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment

T – just in case

**Chapter 1 – Unchained**

Rodney sat alone in his lab. He was tapping away at one of the laptops and frowning. A forgotten mug of cold coffee was on the desk next to him.

It was 2am. He had remained while the other scientists bade him goodnight and left.

Rodney was not about to let this problem defeat him. He would stay awake all night if necessary.

Power was being drained from some of the systems. It was noticed when some of the lights across Atlantis began flickering and dimming and then going back to normal. It was quickly established that it was not a serious problem. No critical systems were being affected. Nevertheless it still had to be fixed.

"_I seem to be the only one capable of doing any work around here or fixing anything broken or just broken by my incompetent staff,"_ Rodney thought bitterly, as he unfocused his eyes for a moment and stared at the wall opposite.

_"No-one seems to understand the concept of how a little problem can quickly blow up out of all proportions if not fixed straight away."_

Rodney also knew that if he did not fix problems as they were found; the next day there will be another and another and another until it all became very serious.

He gazed back at the laptop screen. Across it a map of the Atlantis power distribution grid was displayed.

Both Rodney and his team had spent hours trying to locate the source of the drain. It was so intermittent and small that it had been impossible to pinpoint.

As Rodney stared a few more power drains flashed across the screen and then suddenly went back to normal. He quickly shook his head to clear the tired fuzz and began to work.

He traced the power lines throughout the city, keeping a map in his mind of the areas that had just been affected. There was no pattern to the drain and the power lines never came together in one point. He surmised that something or someone was siphoning the power away. But where it was going he and his team had not been able to figure out.

Suddenly a red glow appeared on the West Pier, it was in an area close to the Central Tower but low down and close to the waterline where levels of the city were still flooded.

Rodney sighed and rubbed his tired eyes, _"Finally!"_ He thought, _"Seems to be divine intervention, because I was just about ready to give up and call it a night myself."_

He grabbed his tablet and downloaded the data from the laptop. He stood on shaky legs and grabbed the coffee mug. He sniffed at it and sampled some.

"Yuck!" Rodney said out loud as he grimaced and decided against downing the rest of the cold liquid.

He sighed once more, and headed out of the lab to the nearest transporter.

He was too tired to consider calling for any backup. His plan was just to get there, unplug whatever was in the area and then head back to curl up in well-deserved sleep. He could go back with a full team in the morning and try to figure out what the thing was and what it was for.

* * *

The West Pier transporter door hissed open and Rodney blinked down the corridor. It was fairly dark, but not dark enough to have to use a flashlight.

He checked the map on his tablet and staggered down the corridor.

He walked past several closed doors and then came to the room where the stolen power had been building.

The door was closed, so he waved his hand over the sensor. To his surprise it opened. Usually it took work like trying to open a safe to get into any of the unexplored rooms in the city. He was almost asleep on his feet, so did not think it was a little suspicious that it had been so easy.

He walked into an Ancient lab; now so familiar as they were all the same shape and size. In the centre was a control panel in front of a large cubic crate about waist high. Although the crate was fashioned from the same metallic brown compound the city was composed of.

Rodney did not think that it looked out of place, but perhaps he was too tired to notice or care. He just needed to turn this thing off and then he could get some sleep.

He walked across the room and plugged the tablet into the control panel.

Nothing happened.

"Hmmm," said Rodney out loud, "That's strange."

He tried every trick he knew to get the laptop to interface with the control panel, but still nothing happened.

Suddenly the top of the crate opened and bright white smoke drifted out from a sphere concealed within.

The smoke seemed to be creating it's own light and Rodney's tired eyes did not take too kindly to it. He squinted and began backing away. He remembered all too well the last time he encountered a swirling smoke creature. But this time he had no personal shield to protect him.

When the smoke was completely out of the crate, Rodney could see the sphere inside. It was clear as glass but held nothing inside (or at least nothing anymore).

The white smoke formed into one mass in front of Rodney and slowly began to form into the shape of a human; a female human.

He watched in silence and stopped backing away to see the spectacle.

The mist disappeared and now standing before Rodney was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life. His jaw dropped in shock and awe as she looked at him. There were traces of the mist around her eyes and they flashed red sparks when she saw Rodney. She was still glowing even though she had formed into a woman. Her hair hung around her face in a bright halo. She wore a long sleeved white dress and white boots.

Rodney quickly closed his mouth as he had begun to feel a little stupid gawping at the former mist woman, "What… who are you?" He stuttered.

She continued to look at him, her eyes boring into him, searching and questioning without words. Briefly she looked away towards the door and it closed.

Rodney spun round to find he was now trapped. He hoped this woman was friendly.

She spoke, her voice was icy and hollow, "I am Illysia and you will pay for what you did to me!"

Rodney backed away in alarm, but was stopped when he ran out of room and felt his back pressed against the wall. He looked towards the door, but if she could seal it with a glance, he doubted whether he would be able to open it in time to escape.

She swiftly moved over to Rodney. He flinched and put his head down, closing his eyes in terror as she raised her hands to strike him.

When Rodney did not feel any impact after a few seconds, he dared to open his eyes and look at her. Her expression was now puzzled, "But you are not one of my kin. Although part of you has been changed to resemble them."

She lowered her hands slightly and Rodney sighed and relaxed.

She suddenly moved her right hand up and clamped it onto the side of Rodney's face. He squirmed and tried to wriggle free, so she placed her left hand on his chest and pinned him to the wall.

Rodney reached up to press his radio and call for help. She saw his hand twitch and looked across at the headset. It flew off and skittered across the floor behind her.

He tried desperately to break free as she stared at him, but she was too strong. The side of his face and chest were burning under her touch. He punched and kicked, but she was unyielding and did not budge an inch.

Eventually she released him and took her hand away from his face. Her expression was now one of fury, "So no-one here is of my kin anymore? I will still make you all pay for inhabiting this filthy place. I have been chained for too long, but I will finally have my vengeance and Atlantis will be nothing but ashes once I have finished!"

Rodney had one of his hands on his face and another on his chest inspecting them for damage. He did not find anything even though they still smarted and screamed as though he had been scalded. He had a sinking sensation that she was about to damage him in some other way.

Unfortunately he was right. She began to dissolve into the bright white mist once more. It began at her legs and head and slowly spread across her.

She brought back a semi-corporeal arm and slammed her fist hard into Rodney's stomach. He had no way of recoiling or flying backwards to lessen the force of the impact as he was still against the wall. All that he could do was bend over double and then sink onto the floor, as he was unable to breathe. The impact sent shockwaves of pain around his torso. He lay on his side and curled into a ball as he gasped and dragged in a laboured breath. With great difficulty he looked up, and through streaming eyes he saw the creature who had just assaulted him.

She looked down at him, her eyes terrible and without pity. The red mist around them glowed a more angry and brighter shade than Rodney had seen before.

She brought back a mist clouded leg and kicked Rodney savagely in the head. It snapped back and he lost consciousness.

She stared down at the man lying prone before her. He now had a large cut across the side of his forehead, which bled down the side of his slack face. He also had some nasty burns on his face and chest where she had touched him earlier. She had been able to block the images from his mind for now.

She could sense that he was still alive and was about to deliver a killing blow, but she was losing her strength. Her next kick passed right through him as her leg had become nothing but useless mist.

She screamed in frustration and fury as she completely dissolved and floated through the wall and out into the city.

* * *

TBC


	2. Haunted

Disclaimer - "Stargate" and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment

**Chapter 2 – Haunted**

"Bang bang bang."

The noise broke through Rodney's mind even before he could remember who he was.

"Bang bang bang!" It was getting louder.

Rodney groaned as a fierce and angry headache made it feels like drills being driven into his skull.

"Okay okay! I'm getting up," he muttered, his eyes still firmly closed.

"Bang bang BANG!"

Rodney's eyes flew open. The room was shaded in a dull orange glow. His eyes hurt to look around and it took several seconds to focus.

For a moment he was unsure where he was. He could feel the hard floor against his side, as he lay on the floor in an Ancient lab.

His head let out a particularly painful throb as he remembered what had happened. The mad mist woman, Illysia, had burned, punched and kicked him until he passed out.

Rodney remembered the horrible feeling when she had sifted through his mind as she laid her hand on his face. Her beauty belied her evil intentions. He had been fooled by her appearance and let his guard down. He should have radioed for help as soon as she came out of the sphere, and not just stood there gawping. Well he was certainly paying dearly for that mistake now.

He looked at his watch, 5am. He would not be missed for a few hours. There were no windows in the room to provide any light.

He concentrated on breathing for a few seconds and closed his eyes again as waves of nausea rolled over him. He would have to move if he was going to be sick.

He gingerly moved his hand up and placed it against his head. When he took it away and looked, there was blood on his fingers. He groaned once more and moved his hand down and pressed lightly on his belly. He shuddered when he felt a tender area where the woman had punched him.

The shudder shook his injured head and he could almost feel his brain rattling around inside. He screwed his eyes tightly shut and balled his hands into fists.

The nausea was increasing and he could feel his throat closing up.

Still keeping his eyes closed, he slowly rolled over onto his hands and knees and carefully crawled over to one of the walls. He felt terribly dizzy even so close to the floor.

When he reached the wall he could fight it no longer and was violently sick.

"Ah!" He exclaimed holding his sore stomach. The bruised muscles screamed against the assault.

When he was finished, he crawled a little way towards the centre of the room and lay down on his back with his legs bent up. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"Bang bang bang!"

Rodney's eyes opened widely as the noise began once more. He thought he had imagined it in a dream while he had been unconscious, but was now aware that it was terrifyingly real.

It sounded like someone was trying to bash the door down. It was too loud to be coming from the corridor though. Then he realised; someone was hitting the door from inside the room, trying to get out. Rodney felt his heart pounding in his chest as his heart rate increased. He felt weak and dizzy as blood rushed up into his head in a thrill of horror. Every beat of his heart made his concussed head throb and he could hear the blood gushing past his ears.

He looked around in the dim lighting, but could not see anyone by the door or anywhere else in the room with him. Suddenly his damaged head gave him an idea.

He pressed his hand on his chest, where the woman had touched him earlier. It hurt like mad and he could feel blistered and raw skin. He hitched up a little against the pain and moved his hand away, pulling at the damaged skin. He regretted pressing so hard, but it had proved his hypothesis.

The woman could manipulate minds. She could cloud your vision so that you could not see things. Rodney reasoned that the opposite was probably true; she would be able to make you see things that were not there.

His rational mind calmed his nerves for a moment. He had to get out of this room.

"_Radio,"_ he thought as he rolled over and crawled along the floor to where he thought the woman had tossed it.

It took a few minutes of searching to find it, made so much easier by being close to the ground.

He picked up the headset and rolled it across his palm. It was completely melted and useless.

"Great," Rodney muttered, "Tablet."

He chucked the headset back onto the floor and crawled painfully over to the central control panel where his computer lay abandoned.

"Come on McKay. Gotta get up and get out of here," he hissed, trying to motivate himself to move. He rocked back so that he was kneeling. He closed his eyes and swayed a little as his head screamed at him to lie down again.

The feeling passed and Rodney reached up and grabbed the edge of the console. He hauled himself onto his feet and leaned heavily against it as he was overcome by light-headedness and nausea.

He leaned over and dry retched next to the panel.

"Ooo ow ow ow!" He said holding his head with one hand and the other resting on his abused belly. Despite the sickness, his headache was still angry, perhaps even angrier than it had been before.

He remained bent over to prevent stretching against his bruises and unplugged the laptop.

A high pitched and heart stopping scream from close at hand suddenly rent through the room and all the lights went out.

Rodney was still standing, but he sank onto the floor in the dark as quickly as possible and curled into a ball with his arms tucked in tightly against his chest. He felt all the blood drain out of his face and shivered violently in terror and fear.

"Oh my god! What the hell was that?" He muttered with a shaky voice as he rocked in panic.

After what seemed like an eternity of pitch black; the lights came back on, they were still dull and orange.

Rodney opened his eyes and looked sideways at one of the walls as he lay whimpering on the floor. It seemed to be glistening in the glow of the lights. He thought it looked like some kind of liquid as it was slowly spreading and flowing down the wall.

The lights in the room shifted from orange to white, they became brighter and then were extinguished once more.

Rodney had all the time he needed though to see the liquid was red and viscous. It was blood.

He moved his hands onto his head as he was shrouded in darkness once more. His heart pounded painfully inside his chest and he had a lump in his throat.

"Stop stop stop, please," he begged into the dark.

The room was listening this time and the lights came back on. They were white, but still dim. The blood on the walls was gone and the door swished open.

* * *

A/N – I had concussion once. It is _not_ pleasant – bleurch! Head injuries make you really sick (although strangely not in 'Grace Under Pressure'). I'm not a doctor though, so who knows?

By the way – writing this chapter completely freaked me out. Hope you're not scared of the dark…


	3. Unseen

Disclaimer - "Stargate" and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment

Thanks for the reviews and alerts! Wow - new chapters for two different stories in one day. I spoil you too much…

**Chapter 3 - Unseen**

Sheppard sat in the mess hall eating his breakfast with Teyla and Ronon. It was just after 7am and they were due in a pre-mission briefing at 8am.

Doctor Zelenka came into the mess hall. Sheppard beckoned him over.

"Have you seen Rodney?" He asked.

"No, I told him to get sleep, you know how stubborn he is. We scientists just let him get on with it most of time. It's better, try minimise the avoidable abuse as much as possible."

"_That figures,"_ thought Sheppard.

Sheppard was just reaching for his radio to call McKay when he came staggering into the mess hall. He looked very pale and shaky and was leaning over forwards slightly as he walked. He went over and grabbed a tray of food and then made his way over to the team and sat down heavily on a spare chair. As he turned Sheppard saw a large plaster across his forehead.

Teyla took in his appearance in concern, "Good morning Doctor McKay. How are you today?"

Rodney winced as he looked up to answer, "I've been unconscious for the past few hours."

Ronon laughed, "Er, we all have McKay. That's what sleep is."

Rodney glared at Ronon and then put a hand on his head, "Really not helping. I've been unconscious after being assaulted by a woman calling herself Illysia in a lab over on the West Pier."

Sheppard looked up from his breakfast at Rodney in alarm. He checked him over, "What? Has she been caught?

"No. I released her from a glass sphere in the lab while hunting down our elusive power drain. She was a bright white mist to start with and then took on a corporeal form to attack me. Before I passed out she was changing back into the mist."

Teyla looked even more worried, "Have you been to see Carson?"

"Yes, I swung by the infirmary after I woke up and they checked me over and couldn't see anything wrong with me. But I assure you the injuries and the pain is very real. I stole some bandages and painkillers and did some makeshift first aid on myself in my quarters."

He didn't dare tell them about the hallucinations prior to passing out a second time.

Sheppard frowned, "Really? Is that a good idea?"

"Well it still hurts like hell but at least it got me away from Carson and his threats of calling Heightmeyer."

Ronon asked, "Are you sure you didn't just dream it?"

"Pretty sure, unless I'm still asleep as I can see and feel the burns and bruises. I think the woman who attacked me has the ability to manipulate minds in some way."

Rodney pushed his food away after a few mouthfuls. He still felt a little nauseous despite the painkillers. His eyes roved around the room a couple of times as he thought.

He snapped his fingers and grimaced. "There may have been a video feed in the lab. I'll need to head over to my lab to see if I can find anything."

He got up to leave and Sheppard also stood, "We'll come with you buddy, just in case. Don't want anyone else attacking you on the way."

"Okay, good." Rodney swayed and Ronon walked over to make sure he did not fall over.

* * *

Rodney walked along the corridor towards his lab. He felt a lot happier with Sheppard, Teyla and Ronon backing him up. He was also grateful that Sheppard did not dismiss the attack as nothing, just because no one could see the bruises. Rodney had cleaned his face and stuck a plaster on the cut across his forehead. He had left the burn on his face alone. It did not look too bad and he would rather not have people staring at him as though he was crazy when he walked past. He had wrapped a bandage around his chest as this was well hidden beneath his shirt.

He was so lost in thought that he did not realise when the talking of people passing and around him faded out to silence. When he turned around to ask Sheppard to tell Dr Weir about the situation he was shocked to discover he was alone.

He froze and touched his radio, "McKay to Sheppard. Come in please."

Silence.

"Teyla? Ronon? Dr Weir?"

"Uh oh," he said to himself, "This is not good."

There were footsteps approaching him along the corridor. People were running towards him.

Rodney spun around and saw three people all dressed in the same white robes Illysia had been wearing. They stopped in front of him, one man and two women. They all had large weapons Rodney was unfamiliar with pointed at him. They were clearly Ancients.

The man spoke, "Stop what you're doing Illysia. We are sorry that you did not wish to fully ascend. Please let us help you, before anyone else gets hurt."

His tone was cold and Rodney felt like daggers of ice were being driven into his heart.

Rodney heard Illysia's answer in his mind, "I am so alone. You cast me out and I have been in limbo for centuries. I've been halfway between ascension and mortality; neither one nor the other. You've let your guard down and I will make you all pay for what you did to me!"

One of the women spoke this time, "Illysia, we are truly sorry you feel this way. But you must realise that we will not allow you to kill any more."

Rodney heard Illysia's thoughts in his mind, _"They think I've gone mad and that madness drove me to this violence. But they fear me and I doubt whether they have any means to stop me!"_

Rodney felt Illysia's rage building and saw a spark of lightning and fire flash out in front of him. It struck the man and he screamed and crumpled to the floor.

The two women raised their guns and fired at Rodney/Illysia.

Rodney screamed even as Illysia did the same.

* * *

"McKay! McKay! Snap out of it!" It was Sheppard's voice.

Rodney opened his eyes and stopped shouting. He was sitting on the floor in the corridor his hands wrapped around his knees as they were drawn up to his chest. He looked down at himself to see how badly the weapons had hurt him. He was surprised when he saw nothing new. He did not feel anything new either, so he reasoned that what he had just experienced was another hallucination.

Teyla crouched down next to him and placed a hand on his forehead, "What is wrong Rodney? What did you see?"

"What was I doing?"

Ronon was looking serious, "You were shouting about ascension and making people pay. Then you were screaming."

Sheppard knelt down on the opposite side to Teyla, "Let's get to the lab and try to sort this out. Although if that doesn't work maybe Carson was right about a little trip to see Heightmeyer."

"Thank you very much," Rodney said in his most sarcastic voice as they helped him to his feet.

* * *

Rodney found that the lab did have a video camera and had recorded the whole incident. It was brutal to watch and he winced and placed hands over each injury as he watched the woman lashing out at him on the monitor.

He saw the moments immediately after he passed out when the woman's leg sailed through him, as she was about to finish him off as he lay there.

Sheppard, Teyla and Ronon stood looking blankly at the monitor.

Rodney paused the playback and turned to them. Teyla was sure what little colour had been in his face had now drained out.

Sheppard was the first to speak, "I'm sorry Rodney. I can only see you fiddling with the controls in the middle of the room. I don't see a mysterious woman or any bright mist."

Rodney's face fell and he looked sad, "So that didn't work either. Although it just gave me a new insight. This woman may be able to make you all think I'm going crazy by blocking and altering images in your minds, but I may be able to track her."

"How?" Ronon asked.

"Just before she knocked me out I saw that she was losing her ability to stay in a solid form. The video I just watched showed what happened when I was unconscious. She was completely unable to hold her human shape. Lucky for me otherwise I don't think I would have survived that last kick she aimed." He grimaced and looked down.

Teyla looked sympathetic, "We will keep you safe. How do you think you may be able to track her?"

Rodney looked up again, "She had been draining energy for a while before she escaped. To hold a physical form used up all the power she had. We may be able to use the same sensors to track her as we did for the energy creature just after we arrived here."

Rodney turned in his chair and typed a few commands into the laptop. The video feed disappeared and was replaced by a map of the city. He reconfigured the sensors.

"Okay… and… there we go. Energy creature tracking sensors enabled."

Ronon leaned over and looked at the screen, "I don't see anything."

Rodney studied the screen. Ronon was right. There was nothing there.

"Okay," said Sheppard, "If this Illysia feeds on energy…"

"I don't think she 'feeds' on it Colonel," Rodney interrupted, "She needs energy to remain corporeal so that she can complete her plan."

Teyla said, "And what is her plan Rodney?"

Rodney looked up at them all with wide fearful eyes, "She intends to destroy the city and kill us all."

* * *

TBC


	4. Vengeance

Disclaimer - "Stargate" and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment

**Chapter 4 - Vengeance**

"She intends to destroy the city?" Weir asked across the briefing room.

Rodney looked annoyed, "Yes, didn't I just say that? I'm not sure whether that will be before she kills us, or if she'll just leave us here to die."

Weir thought for a moment, "Okay, I know you all said you couldn't see anything in the video feed, but I think it's too much of a risk to ignore this."

"Um… Thanks," Rodney said, taken aback by the trust he received from his team.

Weir smiled at him and clasped her hands together on the desk, "So what are our options?"

Ronon said, "We could wait until she takes solid form again and shoot her."

Rodney looked indignant, "Really? And what do you intend to do when your bullets pass straight through the mist? Throw the gun at her? Howl?"

Ronon glared at Rodney, but did not rise to the bait.

"What about those guns you saw in your vision?" Sheppard asked.

"Well, they might work, but I don't know whether there are any still in the city. Hitting her had no effect as she seems to have a barrier around her."

Sheppard smiled and raised his eyebrows when he heard Rodney had already used physical violence against the woman, "Really?"

Rodney raised his chin and replied, "Okay Colonel, I know I'm not the best fighter, but I can sock a good punch _sometimes_ and she didn't move at all."

Weir looked between the two men to make sure they had finished, "So fighting her is out. What are our other options?"

Rodney answered, "The first thing we should do is unplug the Zed PM. Try to buy ourselves some time as she doesn't seem to have enough power to remain corporeal."

"How about tracking her?" Weir asked.

"I already tried, but she has the ability to manipulate minds to see what she wants. She may be showing up on the scanner, but is blocking the images from us."

Teyla spoke, "Is there any way to reason with her?"

Rodney answered, "Not until she becomes corporeal again. She's so angry though, I'm not sure anyone would be able to get through to her before she kills them."

"But she didn't kill you," Ronon reasoned.

"No," Rodney answered, even as he grimaced at the memory, "But she tried as hard as she could. She only failed because she expended all her energy to stay solid when she hit me the first few times."

Weir was looking a little worried, "I don't think ten thousand years trapped in a sphere will have done anything to lessen her mood."

Teyla asked, "And you are sure that she is unable to control people?"

Rodney looked exasperated, "Pretty sure, otherwise we would probably already be dead."

Sheppard could see the meeting was not going too well. He looked at Rodney, "So if you unplug the ZPM we'll get more time. Maybe we should send someone over to the lab to see if they can find anything out."

Weir decided that this would be all they could do for now. If the woman showed up again she was sure they would get a chance to do both of the other options; talk and fight. "That's fine. Make sure each team has a squad of marines with them, just in case."

Rodney was angry; they did not seem to be listening. This woman was unstoppable. Although he had yet to see her being shot with a P90, he doubted it would have any effect on her.

* * *

The team exited the briefing room and a technician beckoned them over to the control room.

Weir asked, "What is it?"

The technician answered, "We have a situation developing ma'am. We've been unable to dial the gate to check in with an off-world team."

Rodney walked over and sat down at the computer, "How long ago was the gate last dialled?"

"Several hours ago, probably about one or two am."

"That's not good. That's just before Illysia escaped."

Sheppard looked surprised, "Can you fix it? If she's disabled the gate, we won't be able to evacuate to the Alpha site."

Rodney sucked in a breath and sighed, "I know Colonel. I'm already running a diagnostic."

Weir asked, "How long will it take?"

Rodney finished typing and turned around in his chair to look at the team, "Probably about an hour. I have a program already set up to do it automatically. We won't know anything until it's finished."

He clicked his radio, "McKay to Zelenka."

"_Yes Rodney."_

Rodney quickly filled Zelenka in about the situation.

"I want you to go over to a lab in the West Pier and find out as much as you can about it. The location should still be on the laptop in my lab."

"_Is it good idea for us to be going anywhere?"_

"Well it's better than sitting around waiting for her to kill us."

"_Okay, what exactly are we looking for?"_

"Well anything would be useful. But I am specifically interested in a gun, a large long white gun which seems to be able to incapacitate her."

"_We'll see what we can do. What are you going to do Rodney?"_

"We're heading down to unplug the Zed PM."

Sheppard radioed a squad of marines to meet and escort the science team over to the lab. He told them to take Wraith stunners as well as the usual ordinance. They had to try everything.

Weir spoke to everyone in the base on the citywide channel. She told them what was going on and asked all non-essential personnel to remain in their quarters.

* * *

Rodney ran into the ZPM room, with Sheppard on his tail. Ronon and Teyla stayed outside the door with their guns raised ready. Rodney placed a padded ZPM crate next to the power device.

He worked on the control panel, carefully disconnecting all the power conduits relying on the ZPM output.

He had just finished working and was about to raise and remove the ZPM when he gasped and wrapped his arms protectively around his chest and torso.

Sheppard ran over to him, "What's wrong?"

Rodney struggled to breathe, "I… don't know… Ow it hurts!"

Sheppard reached up and tapped his radio, "Medical team to the ZPM room!"

Rodney doubled over and collapsed onto the floor. Ronon and Teyla had come a little way into the room and were watching in concern, occasionally turning to check the corridor.

Sheppard was just about to place a reassuring hand on Rodney's back, when a bright white light began emanating from him.

Rodney convulsed and twitched on the floor as the light left him. When it was fully out, he just lay there panting.

Sheppard backed away from the white mist and pointed his P90 at it. He was unsure how to proceed; gunfire would obviously pass through it.

The mist spoke, although without any physical form, Sheppard assumed it was speaking into their minds, "Thank you for bringing me here Rodney."

The words were cool and filled with hatred, "I have been using you and seeing through your eyes until I sensed we were close enough to a viable power source."

Rodney was conscious and he stood up slowly, still with his arms holding his midsection. "That would explain the visions, I was seeing your memories, just as I felt you burrowing and trawling through mine last night."

Sheppard looked over at Rodney. The mist separated him from the door and the others. He was also the only one close enough to extract the ZPM. He would need a distraction. Rodney's eyes locked with Sheppard's and he understood.

Teyla was looking at the mist with an expression halfway between awe and pity, "We are all sorry for what happened to you Illysia. However, the people who did this are no longer here. We could help you if you tell us what to do."

The mist quivered and moved closer to Sheppard, Teyla and Ronon, "There is nothing you can do for me, except die!"

Rodney saw his chance as the mist moved towards the others. He walked over to the ZPM housing as fast as his injuries would allow and pressed the panel. The ZPM had already risen halfway out of the device when Illysia noticed. She screamed and floated towards Rodney.

Ronon growled and started shooting his blaster at the mist. Teyla and Sheppard did not risk it. There was too much of a risk that they would hit Rodney or the ricochet would hit them all.

Illysia laughed as the mist absorbed the blaster shots, "Why thank you Ronon. You are as considerate as Doctor McKay over here."

"Stop shooting Ronon!" Sheppard shouted.

It was too late. The energy from the blaster had provided enough power for Illysia to become solid again. As she bore down on Rodney, the mist coalesced into the form of the woman.

Rodney could see the red sparks around her eyes again and he shivered in fear. There would be no mercy this time, and he doubted that she would stop until he was dead. She held her arms by her sides slightly away from her body, with the palms facing forward. Sparks of crackling electricity came from her hands.

Sheppard shouted across the room, "Move it Rodney! Don't let her touch you!"

Rodney nodded his head and dived out of the way as Illysia lunged towards him. He rolled along the floor and grabbed his sidearm. Teyla and Sheppard had already opened fire on Illysia. The noise was deafening in the small room.

Illysia seemed to be preoccupied with the bullets for a moment, so Rodney stowed his sidearm and stood up. He ran over to the ZPM and grabbed it from it's housing. He hastily put it inside the crate and hoped that it would be protected.

When he straightened up he watched as Illysia slowly and nonchalantly approached the others. The bullets seemed to be passing into her, but were not coming out the back, nor were they slowing her down.

Ronon was furious at not being able to fire his blaster, so he grabbed his sword and roared as he ran over to Illysia and swept the weapon in the air towards her. The Sword went right through her, so Ronon brought it round in an efficient and graceful arc and swung it at her once more. He howled in frustration as he tried again and again to stop her.

She lifted her right hand out in front and made a small but savage motion towards the sidewall.

Ronon was thrown roughly against the wall she had indicated. He smashed his head against the ceiling and fell to the ground. He slumped over sideways and did not get up.

Sheppard and Teyla resumed firing. It was completely futile and Rodney thought he could see a smile spreading across Illysia's face.

She lifted both her hands towards them and electric shockwaves passed out from them and struck Sheppard and Teyla.

They both cried out in pain as they were electrocuted and thrown through the door into the corridor.

Rodney felt his throat giving up on him, he did not realise but he had been shouting at Illysia to stop the whole time. She turned around and faced him when she had finished with Teyla and Sheppard.

Rodney's eyes were wide with fear. He could not win this. She had taken out the rest of his team without breaking a sweat. He contemplated grabbing his sidearm and firing at her like the others. But it would be of no use.

She raised her hands towards him and he cowered down and closing his eyes, waiting for a punch or a shock that would be the last thing he knew.

Instead he felt his feet lifting from the floor and he was pinned against the wall by her telekinetic power. He could feel a horrible crushing sensation as he was pushed into the wall further by her powers. He was struggling to breathe and he felt his ribs creak and protest at the pressure.

Illysia spoke and Rodney opened his eyes to look at his tormentor, "Plug it back in and I will let you go."

"No," Rodney gasped defiantly, "You're going to kill me anyway. If I let you have that kind of power, you'll be able to kill everyone else."

She stood close to him and studied his face. He had his eyes closed again and his face was contorted by pain.

"You _will_ help me!"

She lowered her hands, but Rodney was still pressed into the wall. He thought he had probably imagined it, but the crushing sensation lessened slightly and he could now breathe. It even felt like his internal organs had started to function again. Maybe it was wishful thinking though; perhaps he was so numb he could no longer feel anything anymore.

The relief did not last long though. She put her hands against his sides and let them dissolve into mist once more. Rodney screamed as she slid them into his sides and ran jolts of electricity through his torso.

The pain was blinding and excruciating. When it stopped for a moment, Rodney tasted blood as he had bitten through his lip.

"Help me!" Illysia cried as she shocked him again.

Rodney squirmed and writhed trying to get away from the hands and the pain, but he was still pinned, and he could still feel the misty hands in his sides.

When she stopped the second time, he was drawing in sharp and painful breaths. He opened his bloodshot and watering eyes to look at Illysia. She seemed to be faltering and her expression was turning from hate to anger and sadness at what she was doing.

"Help me," she whispered and then completely dissolved back into the mist. Rodney felt her hands withdraw from inside his torso and the pressure pinning him against the wall suddenly released him.

He fell hard onto the floor, his abused stomach muscles continued to spasm and cramp. He let himself slide out of consciousness and relief washed over him as the agony faded with his lucidity.

* * *

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt! Shocking!


	5. The Circle of Fire

Disclaimer - "Stargate" and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment

Let the flames begin…

**Chapter 5 – The Circle of Fire**

Illysia looked down on Dr Rodney McKay as he lay unconscious in front of her. Her mind was reeling. She had not felt such emotions for thousands of years. She thought her time alone in the void and then trapped in her glass prison had crushed all feelings from her, leaving behind only an empty shell of hatred.

She was surprised at how fragile he was. At how easy it had been to hurt him and the others. She had stayed her hand, when years ago it would have been nothing for her to kill him without a second thought.

He had contaminated her with his emotions, not only from the memories she saw, but what had leaked over while she was inside him. He had kept her alive, without even being aware of it.

She saw crushing loneliness in his past, not unlike her own. But she had seen something else in his more recent memories. Depths of love and bonds of friendship even he did not realise he had. They had been buried so deeply, for so long. He had surrounded himself by a shield and would let nothing in and he showed nothing to the world.

The sorrow she felt as she hurt him cut right to her soul, until she had to stop.

She looked away and blinked through tears. She had allowed herself to relax and change to mist, but she could still cry.

She steeled herself and thought_, "It's just an intrusion upon me and I must not let it cloud the task I must complete."_

She now realised that there would be no-where near enough power to destroy the city as he had disconnected the main power supply. She still had enough energy to cause a lot of damage though.

She hardened her mind and blocked out as much of the emotion as possible, repeating a mantra that it was not her, she had a job to do and then she could finally be free.

With that thought flowing through her being, she allowed herself to rise towards the largest concentration of life above her.

* * *

Rodney winced and opened his eyes as his stomach muscles contracted painfully and he involuntarily curled up on the floor where he lay.

He could see a med team helping Ronon onto a stretcher. One of them was holding a bandage to his head and another quickly threaded an IV line into his arm.

Carson was there and satisfied that Ronon was in good hands he moved over to Rodney.

"I'm fine Carson," Rodney tried to smile but it came out as a grimace as his muscles went into spasm again.

"The hell you are lad." Carson put a hand gently on Rodney's shoulder and indicated for another of the med team, Robertson, to come and help him.

"How are the others?" Rodney asked.

"Sheppard and Teyla have a few burns and Ronon will have a nasty headache when he wakes up. What did she do to you Rodney?"

"Not a lot," Rodney gasped as a painful cramp rolled across his middle. He hugged his arms around himself trying to lessen the motion of the pain in his torso.

"Rodney, you know you can't fool me. I want you to come to the infirmary now and we'll fix you up. Do you think you can walk? We only brought one stretcher down and Sheppard and Teyla were good to go."

"Maybe. Help me up."

Robertson tapped his radio and looked at Carson, "Sir, we're getting multiple reports of injuries across the base. Electric and fire burns mainly. The most serious cases are heading to the infirmary now and they're calling for you."

Carson looked upset and patted Rodney's shoulder as he stood up, "Okay, tell them I'll be right there. Take care of Rodney and make sure he gets to the infirmary."

"Yes sir."

Carson walked out of the room. Robertson helped Rodney to his feet and put a hand across his shoulders to keep him steady.

"Hang on a minute," Rodney said, as he shrugged off the support. He bent over slightly but was able to stand on his own. He walked slowly at first and then sped up when he noticed that his muscles were still sore but grateful for the stretching.

"Sir, we have to go," Robertson said.

Rodney raised a hand to silence him, "I said hang on a minute." He reached up and tapped his headset, "McKay to Zelenka. Report."

_"Oh Rodney, where have you been? We knew you removed ZPM, but no one has been able to contact you."_

"Well you know… I was indisposed… so to speak. How's the lab, have you found anything?"

_"I left lab a while ago. We've had no luck so far. There doesn't seem to be any data."_

"Where are you?"

_"In control room. Your gate diagnostic finished and when Dr Weir couldn't contact you…"_

"What about the gate? Have you found the problem?"

_"No, there's nothing wrong with it. Or at least nothing we can see. Dr Weir told us that entity… woman… can alter perceptions. There's problem somewhere, but we don't know where."_

"Okay I'm going to head up and help you. McKay out."

Robertson gave him a scathing look, "Sir you must go to the infirmary. Dr Beckett will not be pleased."

"Yes yes I know. I won't tell him about a quick detour to the control room if you don't."

"Well… okay, but let's hope he doesn't catch us."

They walked out of the room to the nearest transporter.

* * *

Rodney and Robertson stepped out of the transporter close to the gate room. Rodney's radio buzzed.

_"Sheppard to McKay."_

Rodney was surprised to hear his friend's voice after what he had seen, "Go ahead Colonel."

_"Teyla and I have been patched up. We managed to sneak out of the infirmary. It's chaos down here so I don't think we'll be missed for a while."_

Rodney smirked at the telling off Carson would give them about that later. Then his face fell as he realised he would also be on the receiving end of some himself for giving Beckett the slip.

"I'm with Robertson, close to the control room transporter. I'm going to check up on the gate diagnostic. See if we can fix it and get some people out of here."

_"Okay, stay put and we'll see you in a minute. Sheppard out."_

Rodney leant against the wall and allowed himself to sink down to the floor as he waited.

After a couple of minutes, he heard a faint crackling sound. It was getting louder, "_Closer_," he thought in alarm.

"Robertson come over here," Rodney thought he knew what was going to happen and he was only mildly surprised when a bright white mist came up through the floor between himself, still sitting on the floor, and Robertson as he turned to join Rodney.

The bright mist compressed into the familiar form of Illysia. She looked madder than before. She sensed them watching and turned to look. She was wreathed in fire. It was in her eyes and her hands were balls of blue and orange flame.

She settled her burning eyes and glared at Rodney, "Not you again!" She screamed and smoke poured from her mouth and nostrils, "Leave me alone!"

Rodney could feel the heat emanating from her and he coughed as the smoke blanketed the corridor.

Robertson tried to move past Illysia to get closer to Rodney, but she saw him and turned. She raised a fiery fist and hit him squarely in the chest. He flew across the corridor and hit a wall. He fell onto the floor and Rodney could see a smouldering and smoking burn down his front.

Illysia turned back to Rodney, who was still looking at her.

"What's wrong with you?" Rodney asked, his voice trembling in fear.

"Don't test me Dr McKay," Illysia's voice crackled dangerously as she spoke.

"Why do you hesitate to kill me? You said you would kill us all and yet you've now had two shots at me. Both times I was shocked when I woke up to find out that I was still alive."

"Be quiet!" As she spoke she exhaled a massive furious sigh and tendrils of flame licked across the corridor towards Rodney.

Suddenly a hand grabbed Rodney's arm and pulled him down onto the floor and quickly dragged him out of the way as the fire flowed over the wall where he had just been.

He rolled over and looked to where Illysia had been moments ago. She was now gone. He breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at his saviour.

"Thanks John," he said, "But I think I've singed my eyebrows. How do they look?"

Teyla smiled, "They are fine Rodney. Do you think it was a good idea to upset Illysia like that?"

Rodney just choked feebly as the smoke caught in his throat. Sheppard crouched down and grabbed a bottle of water out of his vest and handed it to him.

He tapped his radio when he spotted Robertson lying on the floor through the smoke, "Sheppard to infirmary, I need a med team to the control room transporter corridor."

He turned to Teyla, "Stay with him, make sure he's okay."

Sheppard helped Rodney to his feet and they walked along the corridor towards the control room.

"Let's see if we can put an end to this," he said.

* * *

Sheppard and Rodney walked into the gate room and froze. Illysia was in her full glory now. Her entire body nothing but a human outline of flame. She was standing in the centre of the gate room looking at the top of the stairs, where Weir stood.

Rodney and Sheppard both looked at each other and Sheppard mouthed, "Human Torch."

Rodney just nodded.

Weir was speaking with Illysia, "You can go anywhere you like. Help us to fix the gate and we'll let you go."

"That's not what I want," Illysia said quietly. Then she shouted, "I just want to rain down destruction upon you!"

Weir flinched and backed away a little, "You're still human and you have a soul. I can't imagine what it's like spending thousands of years alone. But you have to stop and let us try to help you."

Illysia began advancing menacingly towards Weir.

Sheppard leaned across and spoke to Rodney, "Any ideas how to stop her?"

"Not really… unless."

Before Sheppard could stop him, he ran across the gate room and stood in front of Illysia, preventing her approach towards Weir.

Weir cried out in alarm, "Rodney! What are you doing?"

He put his hand up behind him, gesturing for her to keep her distance, but kept his gaze glued to Illysia.

Illysia's eyes burned brightly and she raised her hands above her head. She quickly moved them in a circular motion parallel to the floor. As she finished a massive wall of flame sprung up from the floor around the gate room trapping her inside with Rodney.

He winced as he was too close to the outer wall and felt his skin stretch from the heat. He quickly moved closer to the centre, but stayed out of striking distance from Illysia.

She regarded him for a moment and then spoke, "I could incinerate you with a single thought."

"And yet you hesitate to kill me… again," Rodney folded his arms across his chest and lifted his chin up as he looked at her.

"Shut up!"

"Are you beginning to feel remorse for what you're doing? I saw something in your face as you shocked me earlier. A flicker of emotion, which I hadn't seen before."

"You did this to me, and I will make you pay!"

Illysia swung a fire-enclosed fist towards him as she spoke and struck a brutal blow on his arm. Rodney cried out in shock and staggered. He recovered and straightened up. He looked at his burned and bruised arm as it screamed in pain at him. Gritting his teeth, he turned to Illysia again.

"You're just pretending to be like this," he gasped, grabbing the lower half of his damaged arm tightly. "I don't think you're capable of killing me. We're not exactly what your revenge addled mind had lined up are we? You wanted Ancients and you got us, so you're confused and torn."

"I said shut up! It's your emotions that did this to me. I can feel the fear flowing through you even as you stand there defiantly. But you made me feel something else and I can't stand it. I just want it to stop!"

She ran at him and grabbed each side of his waist. She quickly turned off the fire in her hands when her touch burned his flesh and he screamed. She picked him up and threw him out of the circle and into a wall across the room.

She saw his body crumple and he collapsed heavily onto the floor. Trickles of blood ran from his mouth and nose and slowly dripped from his face, softly landing on the floor underneath.

She shrieked in sorrow and rage and put her head in her hands. All around her the wall of fire was shrinking.

* * *

Dr Weir watched in horror as Rodney flew through the fire, hit the wall and fell down unconscious. She quickly tapped her radio, "Medical emergency in the gate room!"

She saw that something was happening. The walls of the circle of fire were getting smaller. She could see a figure lying on the floor in the middle. She could even hear faint sobs as the crackles of fire diminished.

* * *

A/N – Wow that was pretty intense – and not just heat wise. When our Rodney's backed into a corner, he sure does sing!


	6. Illysia

Disclaimer - "Stargate" and all related characters are the property of MGM Television Entertainment

Between the candle and the star, between the darkness and the light…

**Chapter 6 - Illysia**

Dr Weir continued to watch as the fire completely disappeared leaving just a scorch mark on the floor around the gate room. The environmental system had quickly taken care of the smoke.

Teyla had joined Sheppard during the confrontation. They both had their guns pointed towards the figure sitting in the centre of the gate room, who was rocking backwards and forwards as she sobbed into her hands.

Sheppard ran over to Rodney who had not stirred. He crouched down and placed a hand on Rodney's neck. Sheppard felt a weak pulse and could see that he was having trouble breathing. Even as he waited for the med team he saw, as though a veil was being lifted, a burn appearing on the side of Rodney's face. He continued to watch as blood materialised, leaking out from beneath the plaster on his forehead. It ran down his face and mingled with the blood coming from his nose and mouth.

"How is he?" Weir asked.

"Alive, for now. Where's the med team?"

"Don't worry they'll be here soon."

Weir and Teyla carefully advanced on Illysia.

As they approached she let out a soft sigh and collapsed. Tears continued to stream down her face even after she passed out.

Carson arrived with his team a short time later. He proceeded to help Rodney and called on his radio for another team to come up and help Illysia. He used a stethoscope to listen to Rodney's chest.

"He just stopped breathing, we need to intubate."

He carefully threaded a tube into Rodney's mouth and double-checked it.

"Get the gurney over here."

Carson and his team gently lifted Rodney onto a backboard and then transferred him to the gurney. Carson carefully placed bandages loosely on the burns around his waist and on his face.

"Okay, let's get him to the infirmary."

Sheppard, Teyla and Weir stood in shock as they watched Rodney being wheeled away.

Sheppard and Teyla still had Illysia covered with their guns. Teyla crouched down next to her and gingerly reached out her hand.

"Careful," Sheppard warned.

Teyla touched Illysia's back and was surprised to find it did not burn her. She moved her hand and checked for a pulse. There was one, but it was rapid. Teyla could also see that Illysia was breathing.

"She is alive," Teyla said as another med team rushed in and took her away.

Sheppard, Teyla and Weir escorted her to the infirmary.

* * *

The team stood around in the viewing room of the intensive care unit looking down at Rodney. Ronon had recently escaped from Carson's clutches and had a carefully sewn up gash across his temple. He still looked a little dazed.

Rodney's face was pale and there was a bandage obscuring a nasty burn on it. He had some stitches knitting together the skin of a cut across his forehead. There was a rhythmic sighing noise as a ventilator breathed for him. A soft and steady beep emanated from one of the many machines surrounding him. A nurse was checking the IV lines in his arms.

Weir looked up and turned to Beckett, "How is he Carson?"

Carson looked sad and put out, "Well he should have come here earlier when I told him to. Then he wouldn't have been so badly hurt. It took us hours to repair the damage. He has broken ribs and a punctured lung. Not to mention the burns and damaged muscles. It's a bloody miracle he made it at all."

"Go easy on him Carson, if it weren't for him, I don't think any of us would have got out of this."

"That's just it Elizabeth. Out of all the people I treated, Rodney was the most seriously injured. I've seen others with burns, bruises and concussions, but she didn't actually kill anyone."

Sheppard looked taken aback, "Really?"

"Rodney also had some old untreated injuries, a concussion, more burns and abdominal bruising."

Sheppard looked incredulous, "He told us he came here earlier and you let him go because you couldn't find anything wrong with him."

"Aye, I did. I wish I hadn't now."

Teyla asked, "How long will it take for him to get better?"

"Honestly, I don't know. He's not quite out of the woods yet, but I'm confident the cocky man will be back to irritating us again sooner than we think."

Ronon was only half listening, "What about Illysia? You said she's here too. Just point the way and I'll finish her myself."

Sheppard gave Ronon a warning look, "I know what she did to Rodney was uncalled for and cruel, but you're not going to shoot her while she's unconscious."

"Why not?" Ronon said with a frown.

"Because…" Sheppard trailed off, unable to think of anything.

Weir jumped in, "Because she stopped what she was doing and I think she may well wish to speak to us when she wakes up."

* * *

Weir and Beckett stood next to Illysia as she lay in the infirmary.

Weir was concerned, "Is she still dangerous?"

Beckett was studying some data on a tablet he was holding and then looked down at Illysia. "No, she's as human as you or I.

"What's wrong with her?"

"She has extensive deep tissue damage. I'm afraid the damage is too extensive; all her organs are irreparably burned. There's nothing I can do for her other than alleviate the pain."

"Will she wake up?"

"Possibly."

"How much time does she have?"

"It's hard to tell, but I don't think it will be very long now."

As they spoke, Illysia's eyes flickered open and she looked up at them. Even though she was now human and lines of pain were spread across her face, she was still incredibly beautiful.

She closed her eyes as she spoke, "Dr Weir, Dr Beckett. How is Dr McKay?"

Weir looked down at her, trying to mask her anger and speak evenly and calmly, "He's badly hurt, but we think he'll be fine."

She opened her eyes again and they filled with tears, which ran silently down her face, "Tell him I'm _so_ sorry. I'm sorry for everything I did. I was alone for such a long time. I had to lash out and he was the first person I met and then he got in the way."

Carson asked, "What made you stop?"

"He drew something out of me which I had forgotten in all my years of captivity. He made me feel remorse for my actions until I could no longer continue. But I sensed something deeper in him which made my hatred falter and then diminish until it was destroyed."

Her heart monitor beeped a quiet warning and Carson moved over to check it. Illysia closed her eyes in pain and her breathing slowed down.

"Please tell Dr McKay I'm sorry and thank him for me. I would have been consumed by the fire of my rage if he hadn't stopped me."

She took a few more breaths and then no more.

The heart monitor rang out a continuous tone and Carson switched it off.

Dr Weir looked down at Illysia; her anger had melted as Illysia spoke and her face had now fallen into sadness. She blinked and put a hand on Carson's shoulder. She then walked out of the infirmary without comment.

* * *

A week later, Rodney was sitting on the edge of the West Pier looking across the ocean lost in thought. He turned his head when he heard footsteps approaching.

Sheppard smiled at his friend and sat down next to him. "I thought I might find you out here. How're you holding up?"

"Carson let me out of the infirmary. He told me to take it easy and check in with him every day."

Sheppard raised his eyebrows, "That's not what I meant."

"I know John, but I was hoping you wouldn't notice."

"You watched the video, right? You know she was ultimately sorry for what she did."

"Yes… but that doesn't help my shattered ribs and bruises."

"They'll heal," Sheppard thought for a moment as a cool breeze washed over them from the sea, "_And_ she didn't kill anyone."

Rodney looked down and frowned as a line of pain spread out across his back.

"Maybe in time Colonel. I suppose at least she's free now."

They sat and watched the mesmerising and ceaseless waves as they rolled and splashed against the pier.

After a while, Rodney looked across at Sheppard. He was ashamed with himself that he could not admit out loud, even to his closest friend, that he had already forgiven Illysia in his heart.

* * *

A/N – This chapter is actually called **'Redemption'** but that gives too much away in the chapter headings dropdown…

Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think.


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